The Next Door
by Thwarted Moony
Summary: After years away, Draco Malfoy is ready to be back in England, what he's not ready for is to find out his new neighbour is what used to be "the" Hermione Granger, but now seems to be a lost and broken girl that he can't keep away from...or maybe doesn't want to. (HP/GW, TN/LL, BZ/PP) EWE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was late October when he finally arrived at his new house, well it was new to him because he had just purchased it but it was really an old cottage near a tiny muggle village. He told himself he was ready to be back in England, but he wasn't daft enough to go and plant himself in wizarding London. No, this little cottage in the middle of nowhere was the perfect choice, or it would have been, had it not been for his new neighbour and her always idiotic best friend.

Her friend looked furious, he was walking right up to him, brows furrowed, and fist clenched. But not her. She was walking behind the idiot, eyes unfocused, with no expression that indicated her feeling about having him near. He felt a pang of recognition in the way she looked. Lost, broken, too familiar. Something stir inside of him, she shouldn't look like that, not her, it was just wrong. But before he could contemplate this weird feelings they had already reach him.

"What the hell are you doing here Malfoy!" Potter's face was so red it would had matched Weasley's hair...Where _was_ the Weasel?. "You can't be here, go back to wherever rock you were hiding in".

"I just happen to live here, Potter." What was the guy's problem, anyway. Merlin he had forgotten how annoying Scarhead could be. She, thought, didn't seem to mind, her eyes were busy observing the moss covered stairs to the main door.

"Well then bloody move. It's not like you can't afford something better." So? he liked this house, Potter would have to bugger off.

"I´m afraid I Iike it here." his eyes turned to her. "I guess that will make us neighbours, Granger."

"The hell you will" Potter was getting louder, but Granger kept looking at the stairs.

"I would invite you over for some tea and crackers but there's only coffee and _pan de muerto_." That made her look at him, finally. He was ready for hate, or contempt or just plain dislike, but there was only some faint curiosity.

"Is that the mexican bread?" Even Potter looked shocked.

"Yeah...I just came back from there." The curiosity grew.

"Can I see it?" The way she talked sounded off, like some rare occasion, looking at Potter's dumbstruck expression maybe it was. He could be rude, or mean, or just give some lame excuse as to why she couldn't but it would mean giving Potter what he wanted, and no matter how much he had change in the past five year, some things were too hard to change. Ok, maybe he just didn't want to.

"You can have some too, if you want" Was that too much? But she had a faint smile on her face and was walking right at him and all of a sudden it felt like too little, like he needed to do more, anything, to keep her smiling.

"Thank you." She entered the house without waiting. He signalled her still shocked friend to come in, no matter how much he wanted to close the door and went to the kitchen, where he found her staring at the bread.

"Would you like some coffee with it? It's mexican too. From Chiapas." Real smooth Draco. But she was nodding, so he went to find the mugs and plates that were still on boxes over the counter.

"Would..would you tell me?" He turned to look at her, she was gazing at the bread, but her eyes looked far away. Again, that same feeling of recognition, it made him feel a little sick. "About Mexico, I mean."

"Sure, you should go there some time, it is quite beautiful. Full of mosquitoes, but nothing a good repellent charm can't fix. It's a whole new world really, warm and friendly. The magical world is so connected with the muggles you wouldn't believe it possible, even some animals, magical I mean, roam around the muggle jungle without hiding, it's amazing." He poured the coffee and gave her a slice of bread, he was well aware he was babbling like an idiot but after years of travelling maybe he also needed someone willing to listen. Potter was watching them by the corner of the kitchen, arms crossed and tensed.

"What do you mean about both worlds being connected?" Potter's eyes looked ridiculously big, it was kind of funny.

"Well the Shamans still help muggles with healing potions, and they don't burn them on steaks like they use to do in here. I think there was a time of inquisitions and death too, but the natives protected them or something. Even tourist visit some wizarding villages, I mean ofcourse they don't let them see everything but the fact that there is that kind of interaction seems unreal if you compare it to us." Her mug was almost empty and he could feel Potter approaching them. For some reason, knowing she would be gone soon made him uneasy. "You would love it, even the big cities are full of color. In spring there is a street in Mexico City that looks purple."

"Purple?"

"Yes, there's this tree, you see, with purple flower, that covers the entire avenue and if you are lucky the wind blows and everywhere you look it feels like purple rain." She looked beautiful, that was unexpected. She was looking at him with something like gratitude, it unnerved him. Potter of course ruined the moment.

"It's time to go, Hermione." She blinked a few times, like she had forgotten her friend was there, then nodded and stood up. She was already walking through the door when she turned around and looked at him. He didn't know how to describe her at that moment, wrapt around an old chal, in a big yellow sweater that was at least two sizes bigger than it should be, and a messy braid. She looked thin, too thin, he noticed, and had bag under her eyes so big he was surprised he hadn't seen them before. Then she spoke. "Thank you."

He couldn't speak so he moved his head instead. She gave him a wavering smile.

"You could come over some time. I have tea." And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

All characters belong to J.K. Rolling

Chapter 2

He was still recovering from Granger when the banging on the front door made him jump. Of course, Potter.

"What? Miss me already, Potter?" The chosen one just pointed his oh so holy finger at him and started spitting bullshet.

"If something happens to her, if she gets hurt, if she just decides she doesn't want you near her I will make sure you disappear. You hear me?" His face was serious, and for a minute there, Draco felt actual fear. But it lasted just a minute, and then there was anger.

"You don't need to threaten me, Potter, I know how bias the government is, one word from their savior and I'm behind bars, got it. I _will_ stay away, but if she comes, my door is open. I somehow doubt your threats go both ways." Potter looked away, at his new neighbour's house and sighted.

"If she wants to see you, so be it. But you better not hurt her, in any way. Are we clear?" He sounded resigned, tired. It made him wonder how long he'd had to threaten others the way he was doing it just now. And also ask himself about his red headed baboon of a friend.

"Cristal" And with that he closed the door.

Two weeks had passed since he moved here, and jet he hadn't sent any letters to his friends telling them of his arrival. Pansy was sure to throw a fit. Maybe he wasn't as ready as he thought, maybe he should just keep travelling, _running_. He had spent the days organizing his new home, the furniture was new, and basic, he would wait for Blaise and Pansy to fight over how to decorate it. What he couldn't wait anymore was for the ministry to let his poor house elf take out the books he asked for from the mannos. "Standard regulations my arse".

He looked out the window and there she was again, sitting in the middle of her garden looking out into the horizon without moving, only the sporadic blinking of her eyes a testimony that she was indeed alive, and not some pre raphaelite painting plastered over his windowsill. Maybe he could finally go to her, she had invited him for tea or something like that the night he moved in, she was sure to have a book he could borrow. If only he could muster the courage to do just that. Then something new happened, Granger turned her head and looked up to see straight to his eyes, he gasped, even at this distance he could see a small smile forming on her lips, and for some reason he felt completely unworthy of it. Then she waved, and he found himself awkwardly waving back. She stood up then and went inside her house. He lost his chance, maybe tomorrow he would finally do it.

The next day there she was again, this time her back resting against a tree, book opened at her lap, forgotten while she stared into space. He inhaled, exhaled, and then walked out of his room, down the stairs, out the main door and walked the less than thirty feet that separated his garden from hers. He was hoping for her to look up at him but she didn't seem to notice him. He coughed trying to get her attention, it didn't work. He stood in front of her for a few seconds and then, after no reaction on her part decided to sit down and stare. She was just as thin as the last time they saw each other, her eyes looked just as tired, and by Merlin he found her just as beautiful. He knew there was something very wrong about her, she was obviously not doing well, she never leave her home, and apart from Lovegood, and the Potters, he hadn't seen any visitors. Blink, no reaction. He focused on her hair, still a birds nest, she only tried to tame it when she had company. Blink. He was such a stalker, two weeks and all he ever did was stare out his window. He could argue with himself about the fact that it was not his fault it pointed at her garden, but he knew there were other windows. Blink. She was sad, that was obvious, and not the _I cry myself to sleep and wip my problems at total strangers_ kind of sad, but the one that eats you alive from the inside, the one that paralyzes you, so much so that the smallest gesture hurts. He'd seen that before, it terrified him to recognize it in her. It was just not right. Maybe...just maybe. She moved. She was now staring at him, frowning, confused. He had to say something, right?

"Hi" _Idiot._ She blinked a few more times before addressing him.

"Hello, sorry I...I didn't hear you...How long..how long have you.."She didn't finish talking, and looked at her hands near the book lying on her lap.

"Not long, just came here, really. I, sorry, I'll go." He had barely standed up when she spoke again.

"Wait, don't. You don't have to go. Please." She sounded nervous. He didn't know what to do. Should he sit down again, say up, leave, get closer?

"I wanted to ask you a favor, really." She was looking at him again, curious.

"Oh?"

"Well, my books haven't arrived jet and I thought, being you, that there must be at least a hundred inside your house." Bloody hell, he was fidgeting. "So I thought...you know..I"

"Sure" And then she was standing up and dusting her sweater, and walking toward her opened door. "I'll make some tea while you chose one. Do you like Earl Gray?"

"Wha..yeah, yes, that would be fine, thank you." She looked back at him and smiled a little.

"You could tell me more about your travels."

And he did. The book he had picked cast aside, while they drank tea on her living room couch. She didn't talked much, other than ask some questions but her eyes didn't look so dim as before and it made him think that maybe this time it would be different.

Four nights after having tea with Granger he woke up with a start. Thunderstorm, how he hated thunders. The sound was bad, but the lighting was the worst part, with your eyes closed they get confused with spells, and the nightmares creep in. It was gonna be a long night.

He had just decided to take a sleeping potion when a sound much much worst than thunders pierced the night. A scream, not just any scream, but hers, he couldn't forget those screams if he tried. Then another, and another. When he found himself outside Hermione Granger's red door he couldn't remember getting there in the first place. He banged his fist on the door and didn't expected the burning sensation that met his hand. Bloody Granger and her brilliantly placed wards. Then the screams came again. He alternated between banging his palms against the door and screaming her name over and over, begging her to wake up. Bang, her screams, his begging, bang, her screams, his begging. His palms were getting blisters but stopping was not an option, what her nightmare was doing to him was harder to heal than some minor burns. Bang, her screams, his begging, bang, silence, his begging. Silence? He screamed her name again, but nothing happened, then he heard the door unlocking. He tried the handle, it didn't burn anymore. Her house was just like his, same size, same distribution, but so much more welcoming, maybe it had to do with the ridiculous amount of unnecessary pillows in her livingroom and all the junk adorning her walls and multiple tables and shelves and..he was suppose to be looking for her not at her interior design taste. He went up the stairs, he guessed her room would be the big one, just like his. Knock, Knock, nothing. He went in, afraid of what would be waiting on the other side, and Hermione Granger pointing at him with her wand was not his biggest fear at the moment. There she was sitting in the middle of her bed, hugging her legs while she rocked back and forth, mumbling words he couldn't decipher. He approached her slowly, whispering her name. Pleading, she was pleading for something. Her eyes finally met his, and he knew, he knew right away where she was.

"It over, Granger, she's gone." His voice cracked, it was hard to breath.

"Please, please.."He reached the bed and carefully sat on the edge. "Please, Malfoy, kill me" a sob made its way through his throat.

"I'm not him anymore, Granger, he's gone too." She kept pleading. He took her hand in his and pulled her to him. "He's gone Hermione. I swear, they're all gone. Come back." She was staring at him now, and her eyes slowly showed some recognition.

"Yeah" her whisper was so low he thought he had imagined it but then she talked again. "You are not him." He hold her a little tighter at that. "I'm glad." Her head rested on his shoulder and she went back to looking at nothing.

"You should sleep some more, Granger". The only indication that she'd heard him was the tiny shake of her head. No more sleep then. "C'mon then, a bath sounds like a good idea right now. You are drenched." He stood up and dragged her with him to her bathroom. When everything was ready he turned around to let her get undressed.

"I can't hear you getting in the bathtube, Granger, if you don't move I'll make you get in there myself." Movement, slow and clipped but there it was. And then he could hear her body breaking the water's surface and the curtain being drawn.

"You can't just stay there like a statue Granger. That hair of yours is a menace." Nothing. He had to do something to distract her, to pull her out of the past, to get her attention. "Did I tell you about Machu Picchu?" He could hear the shampoo bottle being opened.


	3. Chapter 3

I've made some spelling and grammar corrections to the first two chapters!

Thank you for reading.

Chapter 3

Fire, everything felt like fire. Bellatrix's wand was pointed at her and every light that came out of it made her feel like she was set aflame. Dead, dead would be such a relief. If she would just kill her...She kept thinking about Harry and Ron, don't let them know it's them, don't let them find out, but things were getting blurry. She could hear her name, she tried to look around, but she only met cold gray eyes, steel blue ones with no expression, and a mixture of both, filled with fear, terror. Kill me, she wanted to beg, please kill me. Her name again. Was it Harry? Oh, if only she could see him again. But no, he would call her Hermione, Mione maybe, even if he knew she hated it, but not Granger. There it was again. But the pain was too strong, the fog was blinding her. Granger. What was that noise? Bang, bang, bang! A door? More banging, she closed her eyes. Granger. When she opened them again she was alone, it was dark, there was more banging, her name, banging. Her room, this was her room, let them in, she told herself, so much pain, maybe they can help. She waited, and then there they were, those gray eyes with specks of blue thrown in there. There was still fear, but he looked different, less broken, and he was moving toward her, talking. "Please, please.."He would help, he would finally take the pain away. "Please, Malfoy, kill me." Pain, not in her body, but in his eyes, and then he was talking again and it wasn't the same boy she used to know, this man was different, new. Her room, it was a nightmare. Stay in your room, Hermione, don't go back, stay with him. But he wanted her to sleep, no, please no more sleep, she couldn't go back there.

Then they were moving and she was in front of her tub, he was there filling it, tasting the water, asking her to get in. He turned around and she stood there watching his back, he's tensed shoulders, his clenched fists, and she wanted him to turn around, see his eyes.

Was he always that beautiful? He was talking again. Right, the tub. Her body was working in slow motion, like the action movies her father used to make her watch. The water was warm, it made her aching muscles relax a little.  
"You can't just stay there like a statue Granger. That hair of yours is a menace."

For some reason that made her want to smile, but her mouth was not reacting. She liked his voice, if he would just keep talking..  
"Did I tell you about Machu Picchu?" There. She took the shampoo bottle and started scraping her head as best as her numbed body allowed her, trying to listen to his words.  
"...and then after going up like a thousand bloody miles, you have to go down again. Enter some ancient ruins that muggles love to visit...What is it with muggles and pre hispanic ruins, were they so amazed by old crumbling castles we would have some troubles back at Hogwarts...anyway…" He rambled, she liked that. Why couldn't she smile? "...the walls are golden. You would probably love that. I just felt claustrophobic. Don't know why they can use a expansive spell…" Golden walls, if she could just see that, but she couldn't even leave her property without loosing it.

That wasn't true, she went to his house, he gave her coffee and mexican bread...and he was still talking. " a hammock! Can you believe it? Draco Malfoy sleeping in a tiny, old hammock. It turned out that they can do expansive spells for shit, but the cushioning ones they excell at. Best night in years that was, and in a bloody hammock." Finally her lips reacted turning up a fraction. It felt so good she wanted to cry, that came easy. She stood up and spoke, voice rasping from the screaming.  
"Please turn around."  
"What? Oh, yes, yes of course!" She pulled one of her white towels around herself and walked towards him. He was fidgeting, and she started to feel more present little by little. He turned to see her and smiled.  
"You look like an hindu widow." She came right up to him, took one of his hand in hers and then lean in to kiss his cheek.  
"Thank you". He was rigid, it must have been weird, after all they weren't really friends, just neighbours with a difficult history, but she just felt so grateful. She knew the rational thing would be to hate him, he had been such a prat back in school, and he had been there, seen her, and done nothing. But he was here, doing something no one had ever achieved before and she couldn't hate him anymore. Harry had tried so many times to pull her back, Ron...he had tried for a while, so how come a total stranger, because he wasn't the boy she knew, not at all, he was the man that just moved next door, they had coffee once, then some tea, nothing more, but he managed to get her head out of the dark faster than anyone. Why was he even here? He could have silenced his room, ignore her screams, go back to bed, but he hadn't.

Grateful, that's how she felt. She squeezed his hand a little trying to make him understand but he let out a small yelp and her eyes went to their clasped hands.  
"Oh my God! Your hands! You're hurt, I...why..how?" He took his hand away from hers and inspected both like he was just realizing it for the first time.  
"Right. The wards…" She winced, it was her fault, of course.  
"I'm sorry" she whispered but he was already shaking his hands undermining his injuries.  
"S'nothing, don't fret about it, come on, let's make some coffee." he was already walking out the bathroom, she tried to follow him, then remembered she was still wearing just a towel.  
"I have to.." He looked at her and smiled again.  
"Sorry I forgot, you do look like a widow. India was my first stop you know…" He was for once the one lost in thought. "I might tell you about it some day, there's still a lot about America I haven't tell you yet. You change, I'll go home for some coffee."

Two hours later they were in her living room, the chimney cracking and worming the place. She was curled in one of the couches a book in hand while Malfoy sat on a chair near the fire.  
"You don't have to stay" and yet she wanted him to. He didn't answer right away, instead he stared at the fire, his recently healed hands squeezing the chair's handle.  
"I..I'd like to stay, if you don't mind"  
She stayed quiet, but Malfoy didn't seemed to mind. They stayed like that silently reading until the fire was out and the sunlight entered through the window. The storm had pass.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He had sent a letter to his friends a week after the storm. Four hours later Pansy had walked into his house, looked around and proclaimed "This won't do" before dragging him out and apparate them into an interior design store. After picking everything she thought he needed, they went back, he made coffee and when they were sitting in his living room, which was deplorable according to her, she intertwined their arms and rested her head on his shoulder.  
"If you leave again I'll kill you".  
She was so bloody annoying, and how he had missed her.  
Theo came the next day and they spent the day going through his souvenirs, discussing the different approach to potions there were around the globe, Theo told him about all the improvements done in the new british government and how they weren't allowed in half the establishments on Diagon alley but got invited to every charity event the ministry organized, and he told him about India, his need for a cigarette before bed, and his new neighbour.  
When Blaise showed up on saturday, Draco knew his time secluded was up. Blaise took him and Theo to a bar where they drank walking straight was a challenge and his stomach hurt for laughing so hard about who knows what. The next morning his head was killing him and he had a blurry image of Hermione Granger trying not to laugh at him while walking him to his house.  
He went to her garden, and sat there with his eyes closed for a few hours while she read some book. It was becoming a habit, spending hours together in silence, basking in the sun. He had come to her two days after the storm and every day after that, she never asked him to leave so he assumed she didn't mind. Why he kept going was something he hadn't pondered.  
He got a letter from the ministry inviting him to a Gala to raise funds for St. Mungo's the day the Daily Prophet posted a photograph of him and his friends at the bar Blaise had dragged him. He also had to endure an awkward visit from the Greengrass sisters that lasted more than three hours. For some reason it was different to spend time in silence with Granger than sitting in his new living room with them uncomfortably sipping some horrid tea they had given him as a welcoming gift.  
When Pansy decided to have a reunion at his house on friday he wanted to invite Granger. He did when she suggested they'd had some tea at her house, but she just bit her bottom lip and fumbled around the kitchen. After they were done she told him Lovegood was coming for dinner on friday.  
Inviting the girl that was kept as a prisoner in his former home for dinner sounded like a terrible idea. Then again, inviting Hermione Granger to a reunion filled with people that had laughed while he bullied her at school was just as bad. You are an idiot Draco.

Friday arrived and he found himself seated between Pansy and Theo drinking expensive wine and listening about Blaise's latest conquest with Theo pretending to care and Pansy pretending not to. Tracy and Milly had left a few hours earlier and Greg shined for his absence. He was probably somewhere in Europe drinking himself away. It was weird, being here with all of them again, after so much time. Pansy was still nosy, Theo was still quiet, Blaise was still a manwhore...and yet they were all so different. But they were here, and for the first time in a long time he remembered how it felt to have a family.  
"...had just closed the door when she"  
"Oh, for the love of Merlin, would you just shut up? Nobody cares about your fucking sex life Zabinni!" He smirked, he should had taken Theo's bet about how long those two would last without fighting.  
"Don't be sore because you haven't had any, Pansy"  
"What makes you think I haven't, asshole?" Some things would always be the same. Theo was hiding a smile behind his glass of wine.  
"Well thank you for putting that disgusting image on my mind. Please just tell me it wasn't with that decrepit old man you were with at the last Gala." Uh? He turned to look at Pansy, she had turned bright red, he wasn't sure if it was because of anger or embarrassment, and Theo was choking on his wine.  
"He's hardly decrepit and, unlike you, he knows how to treat a lady" Blaise raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall.  
"He's like fifty something, and I know how to treat a lady, I just don't see any around." She looked ready to kill, something Blaise seemed to be enjoying quite a lot.  
"Mate, no lady would dare to talk to you, their reputation would be ruined." Everyone laughed with Theo's intervention. And then the bell rang.  
"I didn't invite anyone else" Pansy hadn't but he had. He looked at his friends suddenly nervous.  
"You all better behave." Pansy looked at him in question.  
"Is it your neighbour?" Theo was smiling at him, it calmed him a little, not that he had to worry about Theo, but the other two were a different story.  
"I think so."  
"I thought she had gone bonkers." If looks could kill, Blaise would have ceased to exist. He must have seen it because he looked confused. "What? I just…"  
"Shut it. And behave, all of you." He went to open the door and there she stood, clutching Lovegood's arm like a lifeline. "Hi"  
"Hi" She looked ready to collapse but Lovegood held her hand on the one that was squeezing her arm before greeting him.  
"Hello, how have you been?" she asked in a dreamy voice. He was sure they had never interacted before, she should be as displeased to see him as Potter had been and yet she looked calm, with a soft smile gracing her lips, it made him feel ill-at-ease.  
"I...good, thank you, please come in." Well, this would be interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to mpc422 for being my Beta. Well thank you for encouraging me to write this story instead of bullying me about it. (That's for Nat too). Love you! And a big thank you to all you people that followed my story and me, and for your lovely reviews.

Chapter 5

Malfoy showed them to his living room, everyone was looking at them, her hands were shaking. This had been a terrible idea. What was she thinking? Listening to Luna Lovegood! They sat together in one of the sofas, Luna was looking around like you couldn't feel the awkward tension in the air, Zabini seemed very interested on the waves his glass of wine was creating as he moved it left to right, Nott was alternating between staring at his shoes and giving Luna strange glances, and Parkinson was looking at her, frowning. This had been a terrible idea.  
"You have a lovely home" Lunas airy voice broke the silence. Malfoy cleared his throat but it was Parkinson who answered.  
"Thank you, have some wine, I have great taste for that too." Nott and Malfoy smirked before and looked at Zabini, waiting.  
"Maybe that's your problem with men Pans, you like your things vintage." Nott tried to hide his laugh with a cough while Malfoy rolled his eyes letting the smirk turn into a real smile.  
"I don't think her taste in men to be vintage." Why would Luna know about Pansy Parkinson's preferences in men was beyond Hermione, but she had stop questioning her friend's reasoning a long time ago.  
"Well miss Lovegood then you haven't seen her new conquest." Luna seemed confused, but Zabini kept talking. "Ambroos Kormos is not exactly modern taste, now is he?"  
"Oh, you think she likes him, I understand now." There was an uncomfortable silence after that, the kind of silence she was used to around her friend, but normally she wasn't surrounded by snakes. At least they weren't looking at her. Parkinson and Malfoy were looking at Luna like she was, well, loony, Zabini was looking at Parkinson like he was trying to read her mind, and Theo was smiling at her friend, amused. "Could I have some wine, please?" Luna, of course appeared completely unfazed by everyone's reaction.  
Malfoy went to get them both some wine, which left them alone with his friends. She grabbed onto Luna's sweater trying to breath like a normal person.  
"So, Granger.."Parkinson was addressing her, she braced herself for some kind of insult or mockery, and waited. "...how come I don't see you with Lovegood at the ministry events. I mean, I don't blame you, I think I had more fun at Bins' class, but they are practically made to have a chance to praise all you heroes all at once."  
"I don't like it." She wasn't sure if having Parkinson interested about her life was better or worse than an insult.  
"going to ministry Galas or being praised?"  
"Neither." Pansy smirked and relaxed against the sofa.  
"You should. Go out, not like being praised. And not to a Gala, those aren't worth your time."  
"Why do you go then?" She asked. Not accusatory, just curious. She hoped the other girl would feel it that way too. Malfoy was back with the wine, he gave them their glasses and sat back next to Parkinson.  
"Do what?"  
"Go to the ministry Galas" Nott answered for her.  
"Oh"  
"You got a letter yet?" Zabini asked Malfoy.  
"Yeah"  
Pansy made a squeeky sound and grabbed his arm. "Finally someone who knows how to dance."  
"I'm not going"  
"Yes you are." it was Zabini who stated it. He looked serious and tired. "If you want the world to pretend for just a moment they don't hate you and the chance to be accepted from time to time in some places in the wizarding world, you are attending that blasted thing."  
"That's not fair" it came out of her mouth before she could stop it.  
"Life has never been good at fairness, sweets." They all stayed quiet for a while, drinking their wines, lost in their thoughts, probably all thinking about how true Zabini's words were, and then it had to be Luna the one to kill the sour mood.  
"I can dance with you if you like, I usually do it alone, it would be nice to have a partner." Zabini laughed out loud, but Pansy smirked before flicking her wand over the record player. When the music started she offered Luna her hand.  
"I'll have to see how good your moves are first." Luna smiled and took her hand and they were bouncing around the table in no time, with Zabini whistling at them and Nott shaking his head in disbelief. Malfoy moved closer to her, she leaned to him to hear what he would say over the music.  
"Thanks for coming." he gave her a half smile and then turned to look at the two girls dancing in his livingroom. "She's quite something, eh?"  
"Yeah, yeah she is." She had convinced her to come, and it hadn't been the worst idea after all. "Your friends, they…" He scanned the room, looking at them.  
"They have rough edges, but they're not so bad. We were just idiots. Me the worst of all." he looked apologetic, and even if he was smiling at Luna and Parkinson, he looked sad. She knew guilt, and she hadn't been on the other side of the war. So how much worse would it be for him, she couldn't imagine. Had he been the same boy she met at Hogwarts, things would probably be so much easier, anger was effortless compared to guilt.  
"They've change." was all she said.  
"Yes, they have, in some ways. They are still idiots, just not cruel ones." She smiled at that.  
"So have you." He laughed.  
"Well, I certainly hope so!"

When Luna and Parkinson finally sat down she spent the rest of the night listening to Malfoy and his friends enter all sort of debates, about serious topics but also about silly ones like  
"Come on! Lockhart was as gay as a butterfly basking in the sun on a flower field!"  
"You can't say someone is gay because he dressed like that, it's insulting, Andrew would kill you if you compared his sense of style with that tosser, and his new boy would find a place to bury the body."  
"Who is this new boy anyway?"  
"Oh, he was in Ravenclaw, lovely fellow, never knew where my shoes went though."  
Or conversations in which all of them agreed on, like the wizarding education and it's deficiencies.  
"Man, I hated that bull about house unity. How can there be bloody house unity when every time a poor kid gets sorted in Slytherin three quarters of the blasted school jeers at him!"  
"Besides the educational system is precarious. I don't give a rats about how to identify constellations, no offence mate…"  
"None taken, it's not like you actually learned where to find Draco anyway"  
"...well you were hard to find for a while there, but now you're right here, thank Merlin."  
"...that was terrible, Pansy, and no I don't know which star is which and I don't bloody care. Give me politics, give me economics, give me international wizarding law, not how to name dots in the sky."  
"Good muggle studies.."  
Everyone turned to look at her then.  
"I agree with all you've said but…"her hands were sweating, and she could feel her heart pounding so hard she was sure they could hear it. "but there are some laws, some ideas so...archaic, and no one learns anything valuable in muggle studies. They tell you what a telephone is, but not how it works or how the muggles made it possible for them to have light with the click of a switch without magic, or the international laws, and political and economical developments or theories. Even muggle history would've made us all a lot of good! But even the ones that pretend to be muggle-friendly or whatever still see them as some inferior race with no real potential some curious creature that, like a smart monkey, should be prized for doing something right and…" Oh. My. God. Did she just went on about muggles with four slytherins? She couldn't remember the last time she had talk so passionate about something, she could see Harry smiling that amused smile at her, and Ron rolling his eyes and asking if she was done right before she hit him for being an insensible idiot. That had been so long ago.  
"You know what else they should have teach us? How to drive, I see those red beauties every time I have to go back to Italy and, man, can they run. I bet it feels wicked." Nott kicked Zabini after that which made him jump on one foot, which in turn caused Luna to giggle and then they were all laughing. But Malfoy was looking at her, and when she was about to ask if there was something on her face he nodded. And she knew, she knew he thought she was right, and it felt fantastic to be her old self even for just a moment.

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I swear I tried, but I just can't kill Fred, for me it never happened! So please pretend, if just for my sake, that he's alive and well inventing new ways to drive teacher and parents crazy with George, like he should.

Thanks again to Mpc422 for being my beta, and for all the people that follow my story and leave me lovely reviews. Love you!

Hope you like it :)

Chapter 6

Her dreams came with an avenging force. She stood in front of her mother, oh how she wished to hold her, to tell her how much she missed her, to cry in her arms like she had done so many times when she was little. But she was glaring at her with so much anger, so much hate.  
"It's all your fault. You did this to me."  
"Please, please mom, I didn't know! I was trying to save you, I swear I didn't know!" Her sight was getting blurry from the tears, but she could still see her mother's expression, unchanging, unforgiving.  
"You chose them. Nothing will make it better now."  
She was weeping now. She was right, it was all her fault, if only...if only...Then the scene was changing and there he stood, playing with a little girl so much like her and yet so different. The girl pointed at her and turned to her father.  
"Look daddy, that lady is crying." The man picked her up and rubbed his nose to the little girl's.  
"It's not nice to point, my clever little pumpkin." She could feel something in her chest ripping looking at them. Then all went dark, she tried to walk out of the darkness but there was nowhere to go, the the voices came. "It's your fault." "Little Pumpkin" "You failed us" "You are a coward" "Daddy" "Daddy" "You chose them" "Daddy"

She woke up soaked with sweat, she couldn't control her breathing, her heart was pounding as fast as the Hogwarts' express and it hurt so, so badly. She got out of bed, put on her robe and walk out of her bedroom and didn't stop until her knees gave up on her at the border of her garden. "You bloody coward!" her scream broke the night silence.  
"What?" What? She looked around and there in an old stone bench in the neighboring house sat Draco Malfoy smoking a cigarette. He appeared startled, scared, and he hadn't looked her way yet. When their eyes finally met, his relaxed and her tears overflowed. Some strange choking sound came out of her mouth and her shoulders started shaking uncontrollably.  
She didn't even notice when he moved to pick her up, but shortly after they were on his property sitting on the same stone bench he had been smoking on. He let her weep until there were no tears without saying a word and when she had calmed down he offered her a handkerchief. It was so unexpected she let out a strained laugh, but thanked him anyway.  
"How do you do it?" She asked in wonder.  
"Do what exactly?" He gave her a guarded half smile.  
"You and your friends..." He raised an eyebrow "you look so sane" Malfoy snorted and went to lit another cigarette, took a drag and let it out slowly before answering.  
"The only reason we may look like nothing's wrong it's because we've had years, way before the war to learn how to hide it. We're all fucked up Granger." He leaned on his need and kept dragging on his cigarette, not looking at her.  
"Why are you fucked up?" For a moment she thought he hadn't heard her, but then a smirk appeared on his lips and he turned to look at her.  
"Well, our parents did a great job, the war was just the cherry on top."  
"I never liked your family but you seemed to love each other a lot."  
"Love is a dangerous weapon, you being friends with that unkillable wanker should know about it. And we aren't Gryffindors, if we get burned we don't try to touch the flame again."  
She tried to understand what he meant but she couldn't picture it.  
"So you're saying that because love is like fire you'd rather not try it?"  
"I...yeah I guess, we all have different reasons, same solution."  
"What reasons?"  
"What kind of friend would I be if I tell you about their traumas? Will you tell me about Potter's?"  
"No" he smiled at that, a smile she was able to return. "I was always fascinated with the obsession you two had over each other. Had Harry not been a fool for girls it wouldn't have been hard to believe he had a crush on you, and vice versa." The sneer he made was comical, and he was obviously not happy about her suggestion but she kept going. "I also think you two have so much in common it's ridiculous how much you dislike each other."  
"Ha! Potter and I have absolutely nothing in common, Granger!"  
"Of course you do!" His outraged expression made her giggle.  
"Name one, and don't you dare say quidditch, 90% of the wizarding population likes it. You're just plain weird."  
"Neither of you had a choice." That was the wrong thing to say. He bolted from the benche like it had stung him and started pacing. When he turned to look at her there was so much rage in his eyes, but it wasn't really directed at her.  
"I had a fucking choice, Granger, I just made the wrong one." He didn't scream, but it shocked her just as much.  
"No you didn't! What were you suppose to do, go against everything you'd ever know and everyone you loved? That's not having a choice Draco." He flinched when she said his name.  
"It's not like my mother's family isn't known for doing just that." He sounded so tired, so defeated. It was wrong.  
"Yes, and they had someone who loved them waiting on the other side. Who did you had?" He just shrugged. "No one."  
"That doesn't make what I did alright!" He was shouting now, good, he needed to get all that guilt out.  
"What you did doesn't make you a bad person either." He looked at her like she was crazy. Funny how he'd never done that before. "It doesn't. You could have been angry, back at your manor regretting the loss of your Dark Lord, wishing for the day purebloods would take control again, but you didn't. You think the men that got locked in Azkaban are dying with remorse for their actions? They're not! Because according to them, what they did wasn't wrong. The fact that you feel guilt, that you know regret, it's what sets you apart. You are not evil Malfoy. You were just a boy, without a fucking choice." He was staring at her with so much pain that it hurt to watch.  
"Not being bad, it's not the same as being good." She nodded slowly. "It's not enough. I'm just a coward."  
"So am I" He shaked his head dejectedly. Her eyes were filled with tears, and the knot in her throat made it hard to breath.  
"You are the bravest person I know."  
"Then you don't know me." He stared at her for a long time, trying to read her. He sure was good at legilimens if just looking at her felt like he could bare her mind. But he asked her no questions. "You saved us, at Malfoy manor, if you had taken any other choice, it would have been someone else identifying us, and they would have killed Ron and I, and waited to see if it was Harry or not. You gave us time."  
"It wasn't enough." He clenched his fists "Apparently it never is". And then he just turned around and started walking to his house. She couldn't take it, being alone now, not when it was so raw on her mind.  
"Harry can't sleep alone!" He stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly. They looked at each other what felt like ages before a smirk formed on his face.  
"Come on, I'll make coffee."  
She didn't need to be told twice. They sat on his kitchen table waiting while the coffee was brewing.  
"If we are going to talk like two gossipy old witches, you have to promise this is not leaving my kitchen." He was pointing at her with his finger, and she extended her hand and offered him her pinky.  
"I pinky swear."  
"You what?" She laughed and dismissed it with her hands.  
"Muggle saying. But yes, I swear."  
"Good. So I guess is my turn to betray one of my oldest friends….Who should I choose first?" He pretended to ponder it for a moment and then said. "Theo. Even if he found out he wouldn't kill me. He's a softy like that. Pansy on the other hand….  
She giggled, Parkinson certainly gave the impression of being someone you didn't want to cross.  
"Well, the reason why Theo would rather not fall in love is quite simple really: Love dies." She frowned, people fell out of love all the time, that was a stupid reason not to try it. "I see what you are thinking but no, I'm not talking about the feeling, that is the thing that scares him the most, I'm talking about the people you have those feelings for. Even after all this years, his mother's death still haunts him."  
"Oh" What do you say to that?  
"Your turn."  
"Well...Ginny, she sometimes has to see her entire family just to make sure they are alive, that they had actually made it, and she wakes Harry up in the middle of the night just to see his eyes, she says. I guess she feels like she got too lucky, and she's afraid it will go away." He nodded, maybe because he understood or maybe because he, too, thought she had been luckier than most.  
"Blaise is afraid to end up like his father. Dying because he was too blinded by love to see his wife wasn't true to him." Everyone knew about Zabini's mother and her reputation as a black widow.  
"But Parkinson…"  
"Yeah, well, I never said we were smart, I said we were afraid." That was so sad, yet she could understand being afraid of things beyond reason.  
"Luna never talks about her problems, but I can tell she hates being indoors. If there is enough light in the room it's fine, but she hates small spaces or dark rooms.."He was staring at his hands, his knuckles were turning white around the cup's handle. "I'm sorry..I...she doesn't blame you, you know?"  
"I figured that when she walked through my door. I guess it does make it a little better to know that." She gave him a wobbly smile and took a sip from her coffee.  
"Pansy...well I guess it's easier if I just tell you they are all afraid to become our parents. Theo doesn't want to lose anyone else, Blaise doesn't want to be killed by the one he loves, and Pansy doesn't want to lose herself like her mother did, just to please her father. Let's just say he wasn't a nice man."  
"And you?" He sighed and drank his coffee.  
"I thought it was your turn."  
"It would take days!" He smiled.  
"I just know for a fact that love, sometimes, is not enough."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They had moved into his living room. The fire was on and somehow they had ended in his couch, her head resting on his shoulder while they stared at the flames.  
"After sixth year" his body did the now known reaction when someone reminded him of that time of his life. "I knew I'd be a target, and even if I wasn't an easy one, my parents would be. So I made sure no death eater would find them." He could feel her shaking slightly at his side. He wanted to wrap his arms around her but it didn't feel like a good idea.  
"What did you do?"  
"I arranged for them to move to Australia, with a new job, a new identity and without no recollection that they ever had a daughter." She said it without expression, numbed.  
"You altered their memories at 16!?" He shouldn't have been so surprised, she helped (probably more than anyone) to defeat the darkest wizard of all time, but that was different. Any mistakes and...  
"You couldn't bring them back." It was kind of a question, he was hoping to be wrong.  
"I didn't even try. When I finally had the strength to go looking for them after everything that happened, when I was sure they had all been captured, that no one could harm them, they weren't at the house I had left them. When I asked around they told me they had gotten divorced. I couldn't believe it, all my life I had hoped for a love like them and now they were divorced, but I was sure that after their memories were back to good everything would get better. I found my father first, and boy was I wrong." She still sounded numb but he could feel her tears dampening his shirt.  
"What happened?"  
"He was married, with a baby on the way, a girl if the room was any indication. How could I bring his memories back if he was so happy? And what about his new wife, would I be ruining her life too? Could he even forgive me?" He took her hand then. He couldn't imagine what it must have been for her. Heartbreaking no doubt. "And then I found my mother. She lived in a nice apartment in Sydney, still a dentist, and alone. She went to see a psychiatrist every Thursday to talk about her depression and her frustration about not having children, and the dreams about a daughter that never was that haunted her." And then her voice finally gave and it cracked in such a way he felt a pang go straight to his bruised heart. "You think I'm brave? If I was I would have given her her memories back, but I didn't. I was so afraid, so fucking afraid to see her hating me, of her finding out that that daughter she so wanted was responsible of how miserable she was. I did nothing." She grabbed his arm with so much strength he was afraid his sleeve would rip, but he let her and hold her hand a little tighter while she cried.  
So what? She had been afraid and rightly so! That didn't mean she deserved this suffering, this guilt she carried around, the anxiety that paralyzed her, and stopped her from moving forward.  
"Have you seen her since then?"  
"No, but Harry has, he says she's doing much better now. She heads a charity organization that helps orphans all over Australia and she no longer needs antidepressants."  
"I see who you take after" she left out a pained laugh, but gave his hand a squeeze. "I kind of miss that. You being a self righteous pain in the arse...ahhh good times." She laughed and hit him but it felt so good to know he had helped, if just a little, to make her feel better.  
They stayed like that for a while he was lost in his thoughts. He kept going back to the war, to his mother, and to the girl beside him. When he turned to look at her she was sleeping soundly. This was bad, he shouldn't be opening up to her, he should keep his distance learn from his mistakes, but he couldn't do it, didn't want to.  
She looked so thin, too thin to be healthy and it scared him. But who the hell was he to try and help her? What made him think he even could? She moved in her sleep trying to find a comfortable position, and mumbled something incoherent. Merlin help him, he didn't want to stay away.

He woke up with a start. She was gone.  
Two hours later the bell rang and he looked through his bedroom window to see a pair of blonde heads waiting at his door pointing at Granger's property. His eyes followed the direction they were pointing at and there she was, clapped in a checkered blanket with a cup of tea in her hands looking into space. He smiled, then the bell rang again and it turned into a groan. He wasn't in the mood for awkward conversations.  
"You changed your decoration, it looks nice." Daphne said while her sister sat looking around unconvinced.  
"It was Pansy". Astoria looked at him like he'd committed a crime (well he had but not right now).  
"You let Pansy pick your furniture?"  
"I really don't care about furniture. She does so I let her be."  
"That's weird" she said and she reminded him of his mother when they were outside her comfort zone and she looked at everyone with an air of superiority to protect herself and her family. But Astoria had nothing to protect, at least not around him, which only made him find her annoying.  
"Is it?"  
When the visit was finally over he sighed with relief. He saw Ginny Potter walking towards Granger in the garden, she must have felt his stare because their eyes met. She nodded his way and he returned the gesture, and then she was smiling at her friend and braiding her hair. He felt too much like a stalker looking at them through the window so he went back to his room and read for a while.  
It was dinner time when his doorbell rang again, and there stood Hermione Granger biting her lip.  
"Granger! Come in. Are you hungry? I haven't done anything for dinner, but I could..." She raised a hand to stop his rambling and shook her head.  
"I want to have a party." He just stared at her not knowing what to say. "Not a real party, just a reunion with the people I am comfortable with, and you are invited. Do you think your friends would like to come?" He nodded like in slow motion and she smiled broadly. "Good! It's this thursday because Ginny can't do weekends right now." She turned around and sprinted to her house, when she was at her door she waved at him. He waved back and then she was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She had sent the invitation that night. The next morning Luna had sent her a confirmation note attached to a box of blueberry muffins. Neville and Harry had called her on the Flu, Zabini sent her a bouquet of flowers and a note saying he was honored, Nott sent a note thanking her for the invitation and asking what kind of wine she preferred, Ron had sent her a letter telling her he couldn't make it because he was going to visit Charlie and so on and so on. And Pansy Parkinson was currently knocking on her door. She opened it and let her in.  
"Hello, I wasn't expecting visitors." Parkinson was scouting her place, she could see the way her eyebrows would furrow at something she didn't approve of and how they would go up in delighted surprise with the things she liked.  
"Not bad, not bad at all. I don't understand, it's obvious you have a good sense of taste, so why are you wearing that dreadful thing." She was pointing at her orange sweater. She had to agree the color wasn't very flattering but it was one of the most comfortable sweaters she had.  
"I...wasn't expecting anyone." Parkinson shrugged and took her arm, she would have jumped but the feeling of being sucked and soaring through space as they apparated away stopped her. When her body materialized at Parkinson's side who knows where, she was shaking, she clung to her and hid her head in the slytherin's blouse.  
"Please...ple..please Parkinson, I can't, I hate this, just take me back, just.." the girl's voice broke her panicked begging.  
"Granger! Granger stop. Merlin you really are losing it. Look around, breathe, it's okay, no one knows you here. Relax would you?"  
She did as told, they were in an alleyway, she could see people passing by without noticing them,she could hear the cars bunking and speeding on the road, and smell the spice of Indian food from the restaurant in front of the street.  
"Where are we?"  
"Some muggle town near your house, found it when I was looking for places to take the gang to eat that Draco wouldn't complain about, the bloody hermit."  
"Oh.."  
"You're having a party and there is no way I'm letting you wear a sweater." She took her arm and pulled her through the street until they found a nice street full of little boutiques. Hermione tried to breath, calm down and enjoy the anonymity she was granted by the muggles.  
"After this we're getting some food and then you are free to go back to that nineteenth century cocoon of yours."  
Pansy Parkinson was rude, bossy, and snarky, the poor lady at the second store they entered was bound to have nightmares after meeting her, but Hermione liked her. She led the conversation but it wasn't like with Lavender and Parvati that they talked all day and didn't let her participate because they thought she wouldn't know about girl stuff. Pansy would talk about something and then turn to look at her expecting an answer.  
Three hours and a lot of traumatized store attendants she had found an outfit they both liked, and were entering a chinese restorant.  
"Why do we need to eat here?"  
"We don't. You think I want cheap muggle food? I just don't know any good restaurants that you won't freak out about the price and I thought it would be rude to ask you to invite me for lunch at your place." She smiled, apparently she was capable of knowing what being rude meant.  
"I'm not really hungry..."the slytherin stopped walking abruptly.  
"Yeah well, you are eating."  
"Why do you care so much about me eating?" She did seem to care. Hermione had lost her appetite along with her sanity, but thanks to Harry, Ginny and Luna she'd had at least one meal a day when they went to visit, and now with Malfoy around they'd eat tea and crackers or some coffee and sweet bread from time to time, but she was never hungry.  
"You have no reason whatsoever to answer me but I really need to know something." Hermione waited for the girl to ask her this so needed question, she was dreading what would be, but didn't stop Pansy.  
"Do you want to get better or just let yourself die?" She was looking at her so intensely she couldn't look away. There was concern and some hidden anger at the back of that stare.  
"I...what?"  
"Oh you know what I'm talking about, and I can't let him go through that again Granger, I just can't." Now she was lost. What was Pansy talking about?  
"I don't know what you mean. But..I...yeah I..I want to get better, I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Pansy stared at her for a moment, then sighed and nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just.."She made a strangled sound, frustrated. "I don't want you to be like Narcissa Malfoy, the bitch." Hermione was shocked to hear Pansy Parkinson talking about Malfoy's mother like that. But now that she thought about it she hadn't heard Draco Malfoy, or anyone for that matter, talk about Narcissa since he moved next door.  
"What...what did she do?" Pancy grimaced.  
"Of course you don't know…."She stopped at the cashier, and ordered for both of them. "It's not really about what she did, it's more about what she didn't."  
"Like what?"  
"Like eat food like a normal person. Eat." She pushed a tray towards her, took hers, and started walking looking for a place to sit. They ate in silence until curiosity won again and she had to ask.  
"What happened to her?" Pansy was eating when she asked so she had to wait for her to chew, swallow, then delicately clean her mouth before she talked.  
"When the ministry sentenced Lucius to Azkaban she lost it. Draco did everything he could, he stayed at that horrid place because of her, he was near her 24/7, read to her, feed her when he could, walked with her around the gardens, he moved to a room next to her just to make sure she was safe but the woman didn't care. She didn't bloody care that she was the reason her son's life was ruined, she didn't care he had let some maniac brand him like cattle because of her, she didn't fucking care. No, her poor bastard of a husband was rightfully sent to jail so she would rather die. She would let her son can go to hell for all she cared."  
"I'm sure she didn't think that way, maybe she just.."  
"Fine, so she didn't do it on purpose. She got sick because she went to swim in the manor's pond in the middle of winter, but it wasn't on purpose. I know you feel you have to defend her because you know what it feels like to just fade away, but the little I know about you is enough to know you don't give up on the ones you love."  
Hermione was amazed at the intensity in this girl's eyes. It had been obvious to her that the slytherins at Malfoy's house were close, but for some stupid and prejudiced reason she had thought the love she felt for her friends was unique, that not everyone would die for the people they loved. This girl would even kill. It made her respect for the slytherin grow.  
"How can you say that? Haven't I done just that?"  
"Have you? According to Draco you see Lovegood and the Potters regularly, that means you try. I don't blame Narcissa for being depressed or loving her husband so much she went crazy without him, I blame her for making Draco feel like he was not worth trying for."  
Her thoughts went to Ron for a moment. It had been a while since she thought about his absence, it didn't bring the stinging pain it used to, and there wasn't even resentment, just a dull ache of something lost long time ago.  
"So you see, if you were to just quit all of a sudden I'll do the job for you and kill you." Pansy pointed at her with her chopsticks to emphasize the threat. She smiled at the girl and nodded in agreement.  
"For a moment there I got disconnected, and my friends tried so hard to bring me back, I don't know how I got out of that foggy place I was trapped in, but I'm trying to get better. This reunión it's part of the baby steps I'm taking. It might be a terrible idea, to put all of you together with our history and all, but I want to celebrate. I don't remember the last time I celebrated something, before the war probably."  
"Is it your birthday, cause I didn't buy you a present." she looked panicked and it made Hermione laugh.  
"No, no, just a small gathering." Pansy turned to look at something behind her head. She froze for a moment thinking it could be a reporter or just some wizard that had been walking around the muggle town and had recognized them.  
"Oh good, you came." So it was someone she was expecting. She hoped it wasn't one of the Greengrass girls, there was something about them she just didn't like. She turned to see who it was and there stood Luna, with her lovely off in space smile.  
"Hello, I am sorry to be late, but my father wanted to have lunch and forgot to mention it before today." She sat in one of the empty chairs and turned to give Hermione a kiss in the cheek. When she did the same to Pansy, Hermione had to bite her lip to suppress her amused smile.  
"I invited your friend here because I didn't know if you would be comfortable just with me." Pansy rolled her eyes to disguise her embarrassment. She hadn't thought about that, it must have been difficult for her to invite (kidnap) her like that, after all their history.  
"Thank you for inviting me. It was very nice of you." Pansy smiled at her bewildered.  
"No problem."  
After Pansy made sure she had finished all her chicken, they walked around town and took some coffee in one of the little cafes in front of a park. She hadn't realized how much she had missed on. Even the sun felt different outside her house, and the bustle and hustle of the people around her soothed her instead of giving her the paralyzing anxiety she used to feel walking around Diagon Alley.

When they were back at her place she said goodbye to both girls and prepared for bed. She tugged herself with a novel on the bench she had put beside her window. She had just finished the second chapter when something outside her window caught her eye. Malfoy was having a smoke on his bench again. She went back to her book, read one page, turned to the window, and he was still there.  
She left the book on the bed, put on some shoes, and a comfy sweater before going downstairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you Mp422 for being my beta, and for supporting my crazy ideas! I love you! And to everyone who reads this story :D

Chapter 9

Harry and Ginny arrived at 7, they both gave her long, bone crushing hugs and the three of them sat on her little living room catching up on Harry's new promotion and The Holyhead Harpies performance that Quidditch season. She felt Ginny's hand squeeze hers, she must have seen the guilt on her face for not being an active part of their lives.  
Then Malfoy arrived and she could feel the tension in the room only broken thanks to Ginny's intervention. She was glad that dreadful game existed for once. Malfoy and Ginny talked about the favorites for the season, debated about new strategies and were very opinionated about which was the best broom, while she observed their interaction with an unsupervised smile until she felt Harry staring at her. He was analyzing her but she wasn't sure what he wanted to find. She gave him a tentative smile and his shifted until it became tender and warm and he was smiling back at her and complimenting her outfit.  
"Thank you, but it was Pansy who picked it."  
"Parkinson?!" There was someone knocking at the door and that saved her from entering into a difficult explanation as to why Pansy was dressing her up now. Unfortunately it was said girl the one who arrived clinging to Luna's hand with a force that was probably too much for it to be comfortable but Luna, of course, seemed just fine.  
"I'm so glad you made it."  
"We'll see about that when the night is over, Granger."  
"Hello Hermione, how are you doing?"  
"Very well Luna, thank you." They entered the room and Pansy almost sprinted to Malfoy's side while Luna took a sit next to Ginny.  
"Since when are you two friends?" Harry asked Luna after the shock of seeing the two girls entering together had passed.  
"Oh well, Draco Malfoy invited us to his house, and we danced very well together, then we went for coffee after Hermione and Pansy went shopping." There was a dead silence for about three seconds and then...  
"You did WHAt?!" It was Ginny who pierced the silence.  
"It wasn't planned I..." But Ginny wasn't looking at her, she was staring at Pansy and then, to everyone's shock, she stood up, walked right at the slytherin girl and extended her hand in her direction. Pansy took it cautiously.  
"I'll send you my floo address for next time." Pansy just nodded numbly.  
Hours later, when Nott and Neville were discussing some plant and its side effects on certain potions and Pansy, Zabini and Malfoy were trying to follow Luna's story about some mythical creature, she went to her kitchen to open up one of the wine bottles Zabini had been kind enough to bring (she knew it was because he was afraid there wouldn't be any) and stopped at the door when she heard Ginny scolding Harry.  
"You better stop this brooding nonsense right now."  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ginny snorted.  
"You know very well what I'm talking about Harry James Potter and if you keep this up your new best friend will be the couch for a week."  
"Ginny! It's Malfoy!" Harry whined.  
"She is doing so much better, I don't care if it's Malfoy, hell I wouldn't care if it was Umbridge!"  
"Now you're exaggerating woman."  
"Harry…"Ginny's voice lowered down, she sounded less angry and more tired."..don't you remember how she used to be when she came back? She went shopping, Harry. She's having a party, she's talking, even laughing. Aren't you glad?" She heard Harry sigh loudly.  
"Yes, of course I'm bloody glad. But why, of all the bloody gits in this world does it have to be Malfoy?"  
"I don't know, and I don't care. You'll have to give him a chance." She said with a mixture of endearment and exasperation. "Now you better behave if you want to have a lovely time when we go back home."  
"Deal"  
"Good" And then they were quiet. She went in then just to find her two friends making out in her kitchen table. She coughed and they jumped apart like they'd been caught by some school teacher.  
"Sorry to interrupt your snogging session, but we ran out of wine." She smiled at them and they smiled sheepishly back at her. Merlin, she loved them.  
"I have to talk to Neville." that was Harry, the least subtle man on earth. He kissed her on the forehead before exiting the room.  
"I'll help you with that." Ginny said taking the bottle. "So….Malfoy" Oh, those two were meant for each other.  
"He's changed." She holded two glasses while Ginny poured the wine.  
"I know, he wouldn't be here if he hadn't. He looks quite nice too."  
"Ginny!" She knew that, but she wasn't ready to address that subject.  
"Oh, come on, I know you find him hot, too."she smirked at her before taking a sip of wine.  
"Stop it Ginevra. Besides it doesn't matter whether I find him hot or not." She wasn't well enough yet. He didn't need to be with someone as complicated, as broken, it wouldn't end well, and she wasn't ready to lose him. It had been hard enough with Ron. He'd get tired too. "Astoria Greengrass likes him. She's pretty."  
"She can be a bloody veela and that man wouldn't notice it, if the way he looks at you is any indication." How did he look at her? Maybe Ginny was right and...no, no, even if it was true, she couldn't. Besides, she wouldn't know how to even go about it. "He follows you around like a seeker would a snitch." Leave Ginny to compare it with quidditch. She moved her eyebrows suggestively, Hermione pushed her playfully, which made her pour the wine all around the floor making them laugh like idiots.  
"I'm so sorry Ginny." She looked at her questioningly.  
"What the hell are you sorry about?" She was sorry about so many things like making them worry about her all the time, about Ron, about them having to visit just to make sure she was eating, about losing it so badly for such a long time, about not being the friend they needed, about missing their wedding, about missing so much of their lives, and so much more, but she ended up saying the easiest.  
"About never going to one of your games." Ginny laughed and took her hand.  
"Oh honey, nothing you could do or not do will ever make me love you less. Who cares about Quidditch. What you did for me, Hermione, I could never forget." her voice cracked at the end and there were unshed tears in her eyes. "You brought him back to me. Without you the love of my life and my idiotic brother would probably be dead. Heck, we would have probably lost the war before I entered Hogwarts if it hadn't been for you, always looking out for them." Hermione could feel a lump forming on her throat and the sting of tears in the back of her eyes.  
"Oh, I don't know, your brother is way better at chess than I am." and then they were both laughing and crying and hugging each other, and who knows how long they would have stayed like that if Malfoy hadn't entered at that moment.  
"Sorry" He tried to clear his throat, looking as awkward as she'd ever seen him. "I...wine." He showed them his empty glass as explanation.  
"Relax blondie, no harm done." Ginny smirked at him before walking back to the living room. He turned to look at her and gave her a lopsided smirk.  
"She's a menace, eh?" She giggled and nodded in agreement. "You okay?"  
"Yeah" and then she had this huge impulse to hug him, for no apparent reason, so she did. She could feel him tensing up and taking a deep breath, which for a second made her panic crawl up her spine, but then he was hugging her back, and it felt oh so nice.  
"Good." Laughter could be heard from outside, they pulled away and she poured him some wine before both of them walked out of the kitchen. Zabini looked aggravated and Pansy had a smug smirk on her face. It was Malfoy who dared ask.  
"What did we missed?"  
"Apparently Blaise's latest catch is currently attending Longbottom's O.W.L.S herbology class." Nott explained.  
"In other words, he's a pedofile."Added Pansy with a laugh. "You can bitch all you want about my dates, Blaise darling, but at least mine won't grant me a free pass to Azkaban if their parents find out."  
"Yeah well that's because your boyfriends' parents are probably dead!" Hermione thought it was the first time she had seen Blaise Zabini look embarrassed.  
"You're not really helping your case mate."  
"Oh shut up Theo! She lied, ok? How the hell was I supposed to know? At least girls find me interesting enough to lie about their age, you boring wanker."  
"I do not find him boring at all." Again Luna made everyone shut up and stare at her bewildered. Theodore Nott blinked a few times then cleared his throat.  
"You don't?" He asked. Pansy came to Hermione and whispered in her ear.  
"Oh, man, we lost him" she had to suppress a giggle.  
"Not at all. I find you quite intriguing, really." Apparently that was all Zabini could take because he burst into laughter which seemed to be the cue for the rest to follow him. Even Nott was smiling gently at Luna, who looked like she didn't understand what the rest were laughing about. He walked to her side and said something that looked like thank you from where she stood. Luna just smiled back at him.  
The night went smoothly after that, even Harry and Malfoy managed to get into a conversation that didn't result in disaster. Ginny and him got along splendidly, exchanging clever jests and creating teasing and creative nicknames for each other with amazing capacity, and after awhile even Harry was laughing about it.  
When everyone had left and she was tucked under her comfy covers, she allowed herself a moment to relish on the feeling of content the night had given her.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you Mp422 for being my beta, and for supporting my crazy ideas! I love you! And to everyone who reads this story.

Chapter 10

A few days after the, surprisingly, successful party at Granger's house, he had received yet another visit from the Greengrass sisters. Why they kept coming, he didn't know. It was always tedious and just plain boring to sit around his living room listening to idle gossip and how grand the ministry galas had been.  
"How come we didn't see you at the gala? Now that you're back we thought for sure we'd get a chance to meet you there."  
"I'm not particularly fond of that kind of events." He saw Astoria frowning while her sister fought to keep the smile in place.  
"How are you going to find a proper wife if you don't leave your home from time to time, darling?" Ah, so that's what they wanted. What a bloody joke. He just shrugged.  
"I don't intend to find one." There, you can stop this ridiculous visits now. It was Astoria who answered, sounding quite affronted.  
"But you are the last member of the Malfoy bloodline, surely you can't just let such an old family die with you!" It would have been so much better for him if his father had saved him the trouble.  
"Whith animals, when a pure breed presents hereditary bad tendencies, like biting or madness, the breeders decide to discontinue the line." or mix it with new blood...No, Draco, no. "Why not do that with our species?" Astoria made a sniffing sound, looking indignant.  
"Because humans are not the same as kneazles." He smirked at her and relaxed against his couch.  
"Aren't we?"  
When Daphne just remembered they had another commitment he was more than happy to walk them to the door, then proceeded to pour himself a generous glass of firewhiskey. They were still in his property, the silly bints, and what was worst, they were pointing at Granger like she couldn't see them and making snobbish faces at her. He took his drink with him and went outside to give the girls a piece of his mind, they weren't just daft but also deaf apparently, because they didn't hear him.  
"Seriously, he's so weird now, I can't even recognize him, and living next to the most famous crazy cat lady of the wizarding world is not going to help him much."  
"I don't know what you were thinking, sister, it was obvious since our first visit."  
"I was thinking about his bank account, and he's better looking than any of the other candidates. I guess we could look for someone outside the country."  
He made a rasping sound that in turn made them squeal, and he wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a snort coming from Granger's garden.  
"Ladies. Can I help you find your way out of my property?" The both shook their heads nervously, Daphne took Astoria by the arm and they disappeared in an instant. "Thank bloody Merlin!" Now he was sure Granger was giggling. He turned around and she was leaning on the once white picket fence that probably used to divide their properties, but now only stud in patches on the border between the two. She was smiling timidly at him and he gave her his trademark smirk before closing the distance a little bit more.  
"You're not that weird."  
"You're not that crazy."  
"And I don't have cats"  
That caused both of them to burst into a silly fit of laughter. When they had calmed down he sighed and took a sip from his drink. He took in her appearance, it wasn't her typical comfy sweater and old trousers, but a nice long sleeved, cashmere dress, long brown boots, and matching wool tights and scarf. He pointed at her with the same hand that was holding his drink making the ice tinkle.  
"You look nice. What's the occasion?" She looked down like she was just realizing the same thing, then started playing with the hem of her dress jittery.  
"Oh, yeah, Ginny has the day off so she invited Pansy, Luna, and I for lunch. Muggle restaurant, of course." So Red had been true to her word when she said she wanted to be included to that bizarre friendship. He had to give it to her, she could have asked just Granger and Lovegood, but she was nice enough to invite Pansy. Maybe Ronald Weasley was the black sheep and the rest weren't that bad.  
"That's nice, I'm sure you'll all have fun." He smiled at her and he pretended his heart didn't make some cheesy jump of joy when her smile reached her eyes.  
"Oh, I can't wait. Do you want to come?" He pretended to consider the idea.  
"Let's see, me surrounded by four gossip hungry women...yeah, I don't think so. But thanks anyway." She laughed at that and punched him in the arm.  
"We are not gossip hungry!"  
"You call that a punch? I know you can do better than that. "  
"Ahhh, yeah" the dreamy face she made while remembering the time she almost broke his nose in third year caused mixed feelings to surface. But endearment won against irritation and he ended up just shaking his head unable to suppress a lopsided grin. Mrs. Potter arrived at that moment, raising an eyebrow at them, a thing he chose to ignore.  
"Malfoy"  
"Potter" she smiled at that, like a lovesick fool, obviously still excited about her not so new surname. Then she turned to greet her friend and they both did that squeaking girly sound while they hugged each other. Girls are so strange. He send his regards to the other two witches and went back home.  
She bought him some cheesecake that afternoon, and told him Pansy would come to visit him the next day. He knew she would, no matter how much he hopped to spend that day alone. He went to bed, trying not to think about the next day, and opting to remember the way today's dress flattered Granger's complexion.  
He had managed three consecutive hours of sleep when the nightmares invaded him and he woke up drenched in sweat. He tried drinking more firewhiskey but it didn't calm his nerves, just increased the fury accumulating in his gut when his shaking hands poured half the bottle on his pajama bottoms. A smoke, maybe a smoke would calm him down. He practically ran out, slamming the door, his fingers were still shaking, his lips were shaking, all of him was, really. It made it hard for him to turn on the cigarette but he achieved it. He took one drag, three, seven, but his nerves wouldn't relax.  
"FUCK!" he choked between the smoke and the scream and ended up coughing like crazy, them almost had a heart attack when he felt a hand on his back. Granger was there wrapped in a blanket to protect herself from the cold. It was indeed very cold, and he was wearing sweaty pajamas, also damped with firewhiskey. She must have realized that too because she sat next to him and wrapped the blanket around both of them.  
"What's wrong?" She looked so bloody concerned, and for some reason it felt wrong.  
"Nothing." She glared at him, clearly not believing him. "Nothing you should be worrying about."  
"Right." she sounded so prim, it reminded him of his school days. "What was the nightmare about?" He gave her a dejected smile.  
"Nothing...everything. You know bits and pieces of everything you hated, loved, feared…" She nodded understandingly and then her hand was clasping his, and he could hear his heart banging against his ribcage and everything he was trying not to feel came crashing down and his eyes hurt for the effort he was making to stop the tears from falling and looking like a whimpering fool in front of her.  
"Do you have them often?" When he denied it his voice sounded so pathetic it made him cringe.  
"I..I think it's because of the date." She kept silent, waiting for him to continue, her thumb playing with his knuckles. "It's her birthday." She holded him a little tighter.  
"I'm sorry."  
"Yeah...me too." They stayed like that for a while. When she broke the silence he almost jumped.  
"There you are" She was pointing at the sky with her free hand. He looked up and easily found the constellation he was named after. "I always loved astronomy, you know. It was the one thing I knew that I didn't have to learn after knowing about the wizarding world. My father used to take me camping, and we would fall asleep looking at the stars and he would give me a candy, without my mother's permission for sure, for each constellation I could find."  
"My mother would tell me the story of the _noble and most ancient House of Black,_ naming the stars and the things my ancestors had achieved that earned them the right to be named after something that would shine centuries after we were gone." She stood up abruptly, wrapped the blanket securely around him and sprinted toward her house. He lighted another cigarette, remembering everything he could about his ancestors. She came before he had reached the fifteenth century, with a new blanket and two pillows. She spread the blanket on the grass, threw the pillows over it and extended her hand towards him. "What are you doing?"  
"We are having a contest. The one that names the most wins." He took her hand and played along. They laid on the blanket and used the other one to keep eachother warm and started counting. Her hand found his again. When it was obvious it'll be a tie, she asked him to tell her about his mother's family so he pointed at one star and told her what the relative with that given name had done. The last thing he remembered before sleep claimed him was that her fingers were playing with his knuckles, while her other hand played with his hair in a soothing manner, and feeling like a complete idiot wishing upon a star that she'd remain in his life forever. If his nightmares weren't so present in his mind he might have been able to convince himself he deserved to wish for even more than that.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you mpc422 for being my beta, and for supporting my crazy ideas! I love you! And to everyone who reads this story.

Chapter 11

He could feel the cold air caressing his cheeks contrasting with the warm sun rays, he felt her body curled up next to him, one arm holding him close to her. He could hear a high pitched, cheerful laugh in the distance and Granger clung tighter to him mumbling something incoherent, it made him smile. The child was getting closer, and Granger's mumblings less sleepy.  
"Mmmm...Teddy." She moved again and her hand tightened around his shirt, and then she bolted up forcing him to open his eyes. "Teddy! Oh god, I forgot about them!." Too late, a blue haired boy was jumping her ratty fence and running towards them before she could stand up.  
"Mioneee!" the boy crashed into her, which made her fall on top of him.  
"Uhhff" Her face was so close to his she looked blurry, yet he knew she looked mortified. Someone cleared their throat a few feet away. When he turned to look who it was he almost had a heart attack, but then Granger whispered it's not her in his ear before turning around to tickle the kid. He stood up and tried to tame his hair while staring at the woman, so similar to her sister that it caused him goosebumps. But then he found her eyes, warm and with a spark of mischief, not at all crazed and full with hate, and he could feel his muscles relaxing.  
"Look nana, they had a slumber party!" The woman gave the kid an amused nod before turning back to him.  
"You must be Draco Malfoy" she said, with a sad smile caressing her lips. He nodded, nonplussed. Well, he shouldn't be surprised, he did look a lot like his father, and it wasn't like he couldn't figure out who she was by looking at her, but for some ridiculous reason he thought she wouldn't know about him, just like he didn't know much about her.  
"You must be Andromeda Black." She really smiled then.  
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, it's Andromeda Tonks." He felt like an idiot for that slip. Granger was asking the boy, Teddy, to help her make breakfast and they walked together towards her house, with the bubbly kid giving suggestions about this morning's menu. The moment they were out of sight, his aunt's expression changed drastically. The sorrow in her eyes was something he found familiar, and he felt the stupid need to ease it.  
"It must be a hard day for you." she said. Oh, of course she would know about today.  
"Yeah, well I guess for you too." She gave him a wan smile.  
"We were estranged, as you well know."  
"Yet she received a rose from you every birthday." Oh shit that was obviously the wrong thing to say because her eyes filled with unshed tears. He could feel the palm of his hands starting to sweat.  
"She didn't throw them..you knew they were from me...how?"  
"She...she would keep one petal from each rose in a wooden box she had hidden in her wardrobe. It was filled with pictures of her with her sisters. It wasn't hard to assume they didn't come from aunt Bella." Now the tears were running freely down her cheeks and he was panicking. "I'm sorry…"  
"Oh no, no, darling please, you don't know how happy you've made me." She walked right to him and patted his cheek with her hand and he felt like some little kid who had done something right. "I always wanted to meet you. I'm glad you have her heart."  
"It..it's nice to meet you too." He was saved from acting like an even bigger fool by Granger's call to breakfast. He was ready to walk to his house, but she invited him too, and the way his aunt was looking at him made it impossible to decline. The closer they got to the house the better they could hear Teddy's ingredient suggestions for the pancakes and Granger's laughter. He could feel his expression softening at the sound of it, and his aunt's eyes firmly fixed on him.  
"It seems you and I are more alike than I thought." She said, smirking.  
"Whatever do you mean." He said not meeting her eyes.  
"You do know why I was burned out of the Black tapestry, right?" He snorted and finally met her eyes with an impish smile.  
"Well, it now belongs to Potter, so who cares about that blasted thing." She laughed.  
They had a lovely lunch listening to Teddy's chatter and applauding him his new tricks. At one point he changed his hair to platinum blonde and Draco suggested he looked much better that way.  
"So conceited" was al Granger said, smiling and Andromeda had just pointed out it ran in the family. When Teddy tried to shift his hair to resemble Granger's he got stuck with a mixture of both for a few seconds, but it was long enough to make his heart jump and an irritating lump form in his throat.  
They walked Teddy and Andromeda to the apparition point, where she gave him a light kiss in the cheek before turning to her grandson.  
"Come now Teddy, say goodbye to Hermione and your cousin Draco." The moment the kid listened to the word cousin his head turned so sharply towards Draco, he was afraid he had gotten hurt.  
"You're my cousin?" He said to him, eyes shining with excitement and joy to realize he had more family. He turned to look at his grandmother again. "Like Torie and little Fredy?"  
"Yes, love." Teddy ran to him and hugged him as tight as his little arms would allow him. Draco ruffled his blue hair and tried to pretend he wasn't as affected by the realization as much as his little cousin. It was nice (well, more than nice.) to know he was still part of a family. "You'll always be welcome to visit us, Draco." He smiled at her and nodded in understanding.  
"Likewise."


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you mpc422 for being my beta, and for supporting my crazy ideas! I love you! And to everyone who reads this story.

This is in Theodore Nott's point of view.  
Chapter 12

Theodore felt like the worst friend in the bloody world. He should be with Draco, giving him some moral support, making him feel better, or whatever, not sitting here in the middle of Diagon Alley contemplating whether to go to a bar or just hide at the manor and drink himself into oblivion. The former sounded more appealing, better drink alone than alone surrounded by people. He entered the apothecary to get some supplies for his lame potions experiments, payed for all the ingredients and turned to leave in a hurry, just to crash into someone right at the entrance. He apologized, shoulders hunched back, ready to receive an insult, but it never came.  
"Oh, hello, it's nice to see you again." That voice. He looked up and Luna Lovegood was standing there, rubbing the shoulder he had crashed into.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I...hello." she had the strange ability to make him feel like a fool and important at the same time. She smiled at him and the need to get to that bottle of firewhiskey back at home lessened.  
"Don't worry about it, I'm used to people not seeing me. You do, you just weren't looking." Man, she was quite something. "Where are you going?"  
"Home, you?"  
"Well, I need to buy some asphodel, then I think I'll get an ice cream."  
"Don't, I have lot's at the manor, you can grab all you want from the gardens." What?! That sounded a lot like an invitation.  
"Thank you, that's very kind of you? Would you mind if I get an ice cream first?" He smiled at that, and opened the apothecary's door for her. They walked in silence to Fortescue's were he stopped at the entrance. She looked at him in question but he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. There was no way he'd be welcomed there after what happened in the war. She must have realized that because she went in without saying a word. When she came out she was carrying what looked like blueberry ice cream in one hand and chocolate in the other, she offered the latter to him and he took it, bewildered.  
"Chocolate makes you feel happy, you look quite sad right now."  
"Thanks." They ate their ice cream, walking around Diagon Alley while people stared at them. It was impressive how good she was at ignoring that fact. "It's a difficult day, it's Narcissa Malfoy's birthday, and...well I guess it is a bad day for Draco…"  
"It's alright to be sad, you know, if she was someone you cared about." He smiled dejectedly at her.  
"Yes, she was. When my mother died it was…" He couldn't find the words to describe how he had felt when he realized his mother was never coming back.  
"I know." Oh Merlin, I'm such a twat. Everyone knew about what happened to Pandora Lovegood, and how her husband had never been the same afterwards. It must have been a thousand times worse for her, at least he had Draco...and Narcissa.  
"Yes. Sorry, I know." she just looked at him with her impossibly large eyes and that ever present smile and waited for him to continue. "well, Narcissa and my mother were very close, so evidently Draco and I met when we were still wearing nappies. When she died, Narcissa was the one who made sure I had pretty birthday parties, supervised my tutor's credentials, invited my father and I for every festive celebration. Draco and I usually left those to wander around his manor getting ourselves in trouble. She made it better, less painful, less lonely. And I know I should be there for Draco, it was his mother, for Merlin's sake, but I'm just scared that it'll just make things worse if I go there and act all gloomy and sad instead of, I don't know..he has Granger there, no matter how lost she is, I bet she's better at comforting someone than I'll ever be." He was ranting, he knew that, but she wasn't complaining and it felt so good to have someone there to listen to him that he didn't want to stop. "It was hard losing a mother once, and when she died it felt like I was losing a mother yet again."  
"It must've been nice." She said, and he looked at her confused. "Some people only get the chance to have one mother. It must have been nice to have two." He took her hand, with the pretext to apparate them back at Nott Manor, but wouldn't let go when they were at the gardens. I have to show her where the Asphodel is, he lied to himself.  
"You remind me of her, of my mother, sometimes. It's nice." He wasn't so sure about that. "She was very clever and creative, you need creativity to be great at potions."  
"I'm not great at potions." he said bashfully.  
"You certainly are. You can be good at potions if you follow the instructions. But to be great you don't have to do,you have to create." This girl was trouble if the warm feeling in his gut was any indication of it.  
"How do you know I want to create new potions?" She shrugged her shoulders and bent down to grab some asphodel roots without letting go of his hand.  
"Intuition."  
She stayed with him for dinner and they talked about his experiments and her research in magical creatures, she even told him she'll bring her mother's research so he could have a look, and he assured her she could investigate the Nott's property for any nargles and other funny sounding creatures he had no knowledge of. When dinner was over she stood up and thanked him.  
"You don't have to go yet." She looked at the clock and shook her head.  
"You have somewhere to go." She offered him her hand to shake, he took it and brought it to his lips. It was nice to see her be the one bewildered for once. He walked her to the floo and took a handful of floo dust too. When she was gone he walked into the chimney and said as clear as he could "Malfoy Cottage"  
Draco was spread languidly on his sofa reading a book, he didn't move when he heard him come in, just turned his eyes from the book to look who it was and then went back to reading.  
"You're late, just missed Pansy and Granger making silly, girly, and unmanly to replicate noises at my baby photos. I'm going to have a serious talk with my house elves, I'm pretty sure it wasn't me who asked them to pack that shit." Theo snorted and let himself fall were Draco's feet where. He move them right before they got crushed by Theo's butt.  
"Sorry"  
"I bet you are, it was quite humiliating".  
"Not for that you wanker." Draco finally stopped pretending to be reading and looked at him, he sat up and summoned two glasses and a bottle of scotch. Muggle he arched an eyebrow at him, but the blonde only smirked and poured them both a drink.  
"So, what are you sorry about?"  
"I should have come earlier" Draco was about to speak but he didn't let him. "not to see the girls ogling your baby pictures, you idiot, but to be here...for you." Draco frowned at that and looked at his drink.  
"Hmmm." He took a sip from his drink and laid his back on the sofa. "That's stupid." Theo just stared at him. "I should be the one to apologize for that, I was the one that fled the country after all."  
"You had your reasons, and you came back because of our pathetic excuses about how worried we were about the others." He saw Draco give a half smile at that. He obviously knew what he was talking about, Theo wrote to him about how worried he was about Pansy he'd known it was because he wanted him back. And the same could be said about Pansy's complaints about Blaise and his letter saying Theo didn't go out enough. "You are back, and you don't know how glad we are about it, I think I'd kill one of those two sooner rather than later if I had to stand their sick love denying fights all by myself. It's an important day for you, I should have been here." Draco's hand laid on his shoulder. He had been ranting again.  
"It's a difficult day for you to, and I know it. Don't feel sorry for needing your space, mate, I've known you since you were too stupid enough to say Draco and had to endure your Daco, Daco! for a few more years."  
Theo couldn't say anything to that. It was true, and he should have known Draco would get it, out of all of them, he could always read him like a book. Even at Hogwarts, when he hid in his books instead of flanking him like Crabbe and Goyle, he understood, and it changed nothing when summer and Christmas came.  
"You know, I'm a selfish bastard" Theo snickered in agreement. "Had it been anyone else I might not have been so good at sharing her." A knot formed in his throat and he felt like a fag for the amount of feelings that surged towards the arrogant, obnoxious, cunning bastard sitting next to him. "I should have been here for you too. So stop moping and have a drink with me, bro."  
"I spent the day with Luna Lovegood." Draco burst out laughing at that.  
"Oh, man, you're a gonner, aren't you?"  
"Look who's talking, smart ass."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry, sorry sorry! I graduated, then got married and now I'm working and learning how to adult so I took ages to update, but I'll try to finish this story even if it takes forever! Promiss! Thanks for reading. Love you all!

Chapter 13

Hermione felt life coming back to her little by little, her nightmares had come with less force and frequency and she was starting to feel at ease surrounded by her friends, old and new ones. Last night she had even ventured to the Potter residence to enjoy a lovely dinner with Harry and Ginny, where they had informed her of their desired to make her a godmother soon. The news had brought her so much joy but it had also made her feel bad, knowing Ginny would quit Quidditch soon and she'd never has the chance to see her in action. That was why she was in front of Malfoy's house swallowing her anxiety about what her request would mean. He opened the door with his usual half smile and let her in.

"I need a favor." He raised an eyebrow and sat on the couch, she sat next to him, one leg jumping nervously.

"Nice to see you too, how was your day?" She just rolled her eyes. His hand went to stop her leg and she squeaked. "Calm down, will you? What do you need?"

"Would you go to the Quidditch final with me?" He stared at her in shot, his hand still on her leg. "Please."

"You want to go to a Quidditch match..."he said slowly, processing the information.

"I want to see Ginny kick your beloved Falcons' ass, yes." He smirked and nodded.

"You know Potter will be there too, right?"

"I know!" She practically shouted and he finally raised his hand from her knee to pull both hands in front of him in mock surrender. "I know" she said again, this time like a normal person. "But there will be a lot of people, and reporters, and I don't know if I'll be able to...I might...I don't want to pull him out of what could be his wife's last game." Her knee was shaking again but this time she pressed her hands against it to stop it. "Oh God, I'm being ridiculous, you obviously wouldn't want to miss it too, I just.."

"Alright, I'll go with you." She turned to look at him, he was smiling kindly, if not with some amusement, back at her. "I want to see Red in action. With some luck she'll finish that game soon enough."

"So you're betting on the Holyhead Harpies?" She asked smiling, he shrugged and leaned back on the couch. She leaned against him and sighed. "Thank you."

"No problem."

She had casted a glamour charm on herself to prevent reporters from noticing her, and Malfoy had told her to walk in front of him to prevent any unwanted attention on her in case they were to pester him, which unfortunately they did. When she finally got to the Potter's private box she leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Harry was at her side in an instant holding her hand and pulling her to a booth next to his. "Mal..Malfoy.. he" he walked past the protection barrier at that moment and sat at her other side. She turned to look at him, his expression was blank but his lips were too firmly pressed that it betrayed his efforts to appear nonchalant. The two men nodded at each other and turned to look at the pitch and seeing them trying _not_ to interact made her want to smile. The fact that Malfoy saw her trying to suppress said smile just to sulk like a petulant child didn't help and only managed to make her snort. At least _that_ made him relax a little.

An obnoxious laugh came from outside the box's entrance and soon after a flamboyant blonde came through it followed by Ron Weasley. She stared at them holding her breath, she could feel Malfoy tensing beside her but didn't dare look his way. She heard the blonde's intake of breath when she saw them (her? she wasn't sure) and then Ron's eyes were on her. They said nothing for a moment just taking each other in and for a second she saw the corners of his mouth start to turn up into a smile, but then he took in who was beside her and the light that she was glad to see in his eyes died automatically.

"What the hell is he doing here!" His outburst made her jump but Malfoy didn't move one inch, his expression impassive. It was Harry who intervened of course.

"He's here with Hermione" That only seemed to make his face go redder. "And your sister likes him. So behave." She saw Malfoy swallow a smile at that and then shifted her sight towards Ron who was throwing daggers at him with his eyes.

"Hello Ronald, aren't you going to greet me?" He looked at her then and the anger in his eyes faded slowly. He walked cautiously towards her while she stood waiting for him. When he was just two steps away from her he rolled his eyes and pulled her into a crushing hug. She felt her eyes burning but refused to cry and just hugged him back.

"I'm so glad to see you." He whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes and sucked in a nasty comeback.

"You look great" she said instead. "What's your friend's name?" She was ready to be the mature one yet again, after all she had missed him too and nothing would made her happier than to gain back their old friendship.

"Precious." What?! No way she could be mature about _that_. She pulled back from the hug and stared at him in horror.

"Oh, Ronald tell me you are not serious." He smirked and whispered in her ear.

"About her name yes, unfortunately. About her... not really." She punched him in the arm and he just laughed.

"You twat." but she was laughing too. The cheers informed them that the players had entered the pitch and both turned around to see Ginny fly like a maniac getting the crowd excited. Then she flew to their box and threw Harry a kiss that he then pretended to catch trying not to look abashed. When she saw Hermione and Malfoy there her smile was so bright tears swelled in Hermione's eyes again. She practically flew into the box and gave her a hug.

"Thank you!" she breathed in her ear before kissing her cheek and turning to Malfoy.

"Hey blondie, how much are you willing to bet." He smirked at her.

"I bet you 20 galleons it takes you more than an hour."

"You're on." And with just a wave to her brother and an exasperated look at his date she went to meet her team.

"I thought you were a Falcons' fan" Harry said to Malfoy. The blond gave him a lopsided smile and pointed at Ginny.

"That was before your wife decided to play professionally. The woman is relentless!" Harry chuckled and actually gave Malfoy a half smile before turning to look at his wife with sickening sweet adoration. But Ron had to ruin the moment with his insensible mouth. "Why would you be surprise he changed teams? He's always been that fickle."

No one said anything after that but she saw Malfoy grab the booth's handles with such force she was afraid his knuckles would break. Without thinking about it her hand grabbed his. His entire body went rigid for a moment but then he let go of the handle and took her hand.

He left half an hour in the game to get some butterbeer followed by Ron who said he'd grab some treats for 'Precious'. It made her uneasy, but she tried to concentrate on the game. Harry must have noticed because he gave her a reassuring smile and leaned towards her to start conversation.

/

He left the box to get away from the weasel's dead stares and the bloody wanker decided to follow him.

"Since when are you friends with a _mudblood_ , Malfoy." He cringed at the word, hating the redhead more than ever. "Oh now it bothers you? Don't make me laugh." _Don't low yourself to his level Draco, breath._ "You may have fooled her, but I know a snake like you can't change."

"You know nothing Weasley." he spat at him before turning around to place his order.

"I know her. Better than you ever will."

"Oh really? Then you must know I live next door to her. Oh wait, no you don't because you _never_ visit her." He had to admit it gave him too much satisfaction to see his face became as red as his hideous hair.

"Fuck you. You think you're so great and novel don't you? Granting her with your presence."

"No, I think myself bloody lucky to be in hers, you big pathetic oaf." Weasley moved closer to him, probably wanting to hit him but he wouldn't allow himself to even blink.

"You must feel like some fucking god, thinking you've made her all better. But you are wrong. You'll never be enough. Something will pull her back and then you won't mater, and you'll stay there looking at a shell of what she used to be, knowing it doesn't matter how hard you try, you'll never have her back!" He knew he shouldn't let his words get him. He knew the fucking prick was bloody projecting himself on that statement, but hell did it hurt. He took the two butterbeers and left more money than was probably necessary on the counter and turned to leave before he succumbed to the constant desire to blast the man into oblivion. Not even Potter ever got to him this much. "Yeah, why don't you run away you big coward."

"Fuck. You. Weasel." he barked back at him. "You can go and parade around like the bloody savour of the wizarding world you believe yourself to be, I don't fucking care. But if you want to talk about cowards it was _you_ who abandoned _her_. I might be what ever your stupid head thinks me to be, but I _never_ give up on the people I care about."

He started walking back to the box, eager to get away from the wanker. He heard him shout.

"Am I supposed to believe you care about Hermione only because you came here with her?" He didn't answer, there was no point, he just kept walking until he was seated next to her and she was seeping her butterbeer trying to look entertained while observing the game. The only real entertainment she appeared to have was when he or any of the men present shouted in indignation or excitement about the game. Weasley kept throwing him dirty looks but he didn't care one bit about that rodents arse. The enchanted clock atop the stadium marked 55 minutes into the game. Ginny Potter owed him some money.

Then, as if she had read his thoughts, she took a dive toward her dead, or it would have been had she not pulled a _Potter_ and righted her broom at the last moment just in time to catch the snitch. The clock marked 59 minutes.

"Oh blow me!" Granger let out a strong laugh at his side, at the same time that Potter leaped from his seat shouting in excitement, Weasley turned to look at him with a smirk and his bimbo just clapped like a seal. Red came near them then, holding the snitch in one hand and blowing kisses at them with the other. She deliberately stared at him before giving him a wicked smile and winked. The bloody minx had probably timed it.

Granger stood up, ready to leave, probably anxious and he followed her nodding at Potter and sneering at Weasley, but the moment they opened the box curtain they were surrounded by reporters. She squirmed back against him and he pulled the curtain down as fast as he could.

"No no no no, I can't go there. Please.." He turned to look at the others in alarm.

"What the hell! How do they know!" Potter looked furious and then Weasley made a contrite noise and everyone looked at him. He looked as pale as a bloody ghost. _'Am I supposed to believe you care about Hermione only because you came here with her?...Hermione...came here with her…'_ Draco saw red.

"You pathetic, useless, piece of shit!" He was ready to jump him but Grangers hands pressed shakingly against his chest stopped him.

"It's not my fault! I was angry because of you! If she hadn't bring you here…"

"Oh shut up Ron!" it was Potter who finally sealed the fools snout before approaching Granger. "Mione, honey you have to go out there." She was mumbling and shaking her head. "I'm sorry Hermione, but we can't apparate from here, we have to walk a little bit, it won't be long, it'll be fine. Right Malfoy?" It took him a few seconds to realize he was addressing him. He nodded like an idiot until he realized she couldn't see him, then placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes. C'mon Granger, you'll be fine, we'll be right next to you." She turned to look at him with so much despair. He didn't know what she was so afraid of but it actually hurt to see her like this.

"Draco…" something bolted inside of him when she called him by his name.

"Oh! It's _Draco_ now!" He was going to murder Weasley. Slowly. But not now, now he was going to take Granger home. They left the box, Granger squeezed between Potter and himself and it was chaotic.

"Miss Granger!...Miss Granger!"

"Where have you been all this time?"

"Is it true you'd left the wizarding world?"

"Was it because of your break up?"

"Why are you back?"

"Is it true that you had a melt down"

He felt his hand reach for his wand before he realized what he was doing.

"Malfoy put that down. I'm a goddamned Auror for Merlin's sake!" He turned to look at Potter, his eyes locked on his raised arm. At the same time an idiotic reporter decided to reach for Grangers sweater and she let out a shriek. He pointed his wand at him.

"Back. Off."

"It seems the part where she came with a Death Eater is true." The wanker said without letting go of her. He felt the punch in his gut like every time the word was thrown at him. "I guess that proved she did go mental." And with that he lost it, he punched him right in the face hoping it had hurt the reporter more than it'd hurt his inexperienced hand and conjured a protecting barrier so fast it made some of those leaches fall to the ground. The moment they got to the apparition point he hold her tight and with a 'pop' they were back at her home.

She was shaking like crazy and her clothes were wet, probably someone had spilled some beer while they were pushing around to get away.

"Granger…" Nothing. "Granger you need to change, maybe take a shower. You reek of beer." she just stood there staring at nothing, shaking. He cursed under his breath, Weasley's words haunting him. _'You'll never be enough.'_ "Please...Hermione..please look at me." He waited what felt like hours but finally she did. "C'mon, you need to change." He guided her to her room and opened her drawers to pull her orange sweater and gray leggings. But she was standing like a statue in the middle of the room. He wasn't sure if he should feel relieved now that she wasn't shaking. He stood in front of her to give her the clothes but her eyes were so hollow he stopped breathing.

"Oh sod it. You need a shower come on." He dragged her to the bathroom and took out her soiled clothes, leaving her underwear, which he tried real hard not to gaze at, turned on the shower and pushed her in. Her only reaction was an intake of breath but nothing else. He took out his dressshit, turned her around so her back was facing him, and started massaging her head and shoulders. He applied some shampoo and tried to fight with that menace she called hair.

"Seriously Granger! How do you live with this deathtrap atop your head? I'm afraid I'll loose my fingers. What any spider would give to have your hair, they'd catch anything with it." He heard something in her room and turned to look for the source but saw nothing, so he regained his impossible mission. "And don't try to tell me it's because I'm inexperienced. I'll have you know I'd have some practice, but my mother's hair always cooperated. This is just crazy." _'You'll never be enough'._ Bloody Weasley, how he hated him. "Did I ever tell you about India?" her head moved slightly to one side, it was only a fraction and he would have miss it if not for his hands pressing against her head. So she _was_ listening. "It was the first place I visited." She mumbled something that he assumed ment 'why'. "Why? Well, when.." it was still hard for him to say the words out loud. "when my mother died…"He swallowed the lump forming in his throat before continuing. "I went a little bunkers. Don't ask Pansy, she takes everything out of proportion. But yeah…" He might have been imagining it but it felt like she leaned her head against his hands. "I spent three weeks locked in my room, I don't remember what I ate, but I know I drank quite a lot. I just wanted to give up, you know? What was the bloody point? I ruined my life...I.." The fucking lump wouldn't ebb. "I let a megalomaniac brand me like fucking cattle because I thought it would keep us all alive and I founded myself alone, my father rotting, soulless, on a cell in Azkaban... my mother gone... What was the point?" She finally reacted. She turned off the water, twisted around on the bathtube and, using his shoulder for support leaned forward to grab two towels. One she wreathed around her hair, the other she wrapped around her body before moving to one side of the tube and signing for him to get in with her. "You'll get sick. Your clothes are all wet." She didn't seem to mind because she stayed right where she was, just staring at him. He pulled out his wand and casted a drying spell before awkwardly entering into the tube. He sat in front of her, their legs pressing against each other. They stayed in silence for a moment, then she asked again in the lowest of whisper why he had gone to India and he realized he had to keep going with the story. He cleared his throat and let out his breath trying to slow his racing heart. When had it started beating so fast? "It was Pansy who finally broke down my door and dragged me to St. Mungo's. They gave me vitamin potions and _cheer up_ potions, and shit like that and forced me to see a head healer for a week. All I talked about with him was rubbish, anyone could tell the man was glad to see someone like me finally paying for his crimes…"She was frowning, probably indignant about the less than professional behavior the healer had shown. Silly righteous girl. "But in my struggle not to see the ugly fuck's..sorry, the healer's face, all I could stare at while there, was an extremely kitsch painting of the Taj Mahal. It was so ugly that I got this huge need to see for myself the real one to take away the awful image of my head. I left the same day they released me." He couldn't believe he'd done it. Even now, after everything he'd seen and done outside of England, he couldn't believe he'd had the balls to leave. In a way it was like running away, from the memories, from that blasted house, from the scorns, and the phonies with their hateful smiles and their opened pockets waiting for his money. But he knew he was a cowardly coward. How many times he had wanted to just take his mother with him and leave but he was too afraid to even take that cowardly step? There had been times when he wanted to die, but never had the nerve to do something about it. So maybe it had been a way of running from his problems, but it was the least _cowardly_ action he had ever taken. He must have taken too long inside his head because one of Granger's knees started bumping into his. "Sorry…So yeah, the Taj Mahal is breathtaking in real life…" He saw a tiny smile forming in her lips. "But after being in complete denial for a month I had the most pathetic breakdown in the middle of the street in muggle India. I wouldn't recommend it. If you think Diagon Alley gets crowded well...you have seen nothing yet. That's where I met Aasi…." Granger's head turned up at that and looked at him questioningly. "She's a widow. Took pity of me and pulled me out of the street. You'd like her, you have the same ridiculous need to help the underdogs. I stayed with her a week, alternating between numbness and meltdowns and she just helped me, calmly listening to my problems between whimpers. When I was finally able to pay attention to anything other than my pain she told me her story, she's a squib. Her parents married her with some 'rich', old, muggle man when they realized no wizard would have her. She was only 15. She had a son but he died when he was still just a boy because of some illness. She had been part of two very different worlds, never truly belonging to either of them. Her husband had died year ago, and she lived with what little he'd left her. Widows have it quite hard in India. I felt like shit. There I was, crying about my life when this woman had probably suffered much more. She showed me kindness when she hadn't received any, to some stranger kid she had no reason to share what little she had….It just...It was life changing." He could see the tears forming in her eyes, and for a moment he wanted to scream at her that he didn't need her pity, or anyone's for that matter, but he couldn't, not when she was finally reacting like a human instead of a moving corps. "I learned how to be interested in life again thanks to her, she teached me about her culture, and the differences between her world and mine. I realized how ignorant I was, not only about muggles, but about other wizarding cultures. It was her idea that I should travel some more before coming home. She helped me be at peace with the knowledge that nothing I could have done would ever be enough to bring my mother back, and that it wasn't my fault…." Now her tears were running down her face and maybe it was wrong but he thought she looked beautiful. She shook her head and then moved forward until she was kneeling in front of him, her face closer to his than it had ever been. She had tiny freckles all over her nose. One of her hands came up to cup his cheek.

"Thank you." Her voice was clearer now, lowder.

"What for?" It was his voice the one faltering at the moment.

"You bring me back." His heartbeat was accelerating again, and he didn't know what to do, what to say. He wanted to kiss her so bloody badly.

"I..I know I'm not...you don't..I" He sounded retarded and he cringed inwardly and his lack of eloquence.

"You are. I...I do." And then she leaned forward and her lips caressed his like a feather before pulling away. _Oh no way in hell._ He pulled her in for a _real_ kiss.

 _Hermione_

The way memories work never ceased to impress her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd kissed someone, even if she knew it was Ron. She could remember her first kiss, when she was still unaware there were more worlds than the one her parents showed her, and Billy Abbott stole a kiss from her in 3th year just to see what the fuss was about. She remembered how awkward she felt when Victor Krum kissed her goodbye at Hogwarts, and the euphoric relief she felt when kissing Ron at the final battle. All those times felt like moments ago when she thought about them, and yet she couldn't remember the last time Ron had kissed her. But the feeling of Draco Malfoy's lips was more pressing at the moment than trying to remember something that was probably more sad than pleasant by then.

Draco Malfoy was kissing her. Even as it was happening the notion felt so strange in her head no matter how much she repeated it. Draco Malfoy was kissing her and it felt bloody brilliant. Her heart was pumping so much blood through her veins she was fearing a cardiac arrest. He was holding her firmly against his chest, so at least she knew he was having the same problem, he leaned back dragging her with her without breaking the kiss, one hand on her face, the one on her back slowly going lower...until his head bumped into the water handle, opening it and making them both jump with shock at the feeling of freezing water. He let out such a girly yelp she couldn't help it, she laughed. Draco stared at her with indignation for just a moment before letting a reluctant smile grace his face. God, he looked good when he smiled…

He turned the water off, and pulled himself out of the tub before offering her his hand. He used a spell to dry his clothes and left the bathroom for her to change. She smiled when she saw her orange sweater, not being in the right mind to notice him picking it up for her before. It was weird how soon they had become comfortable with each other, but listening to his story, to the way he'd felt at some point in his life, she knew he understood. That the moment he'd seen her when they met again on his doorstep he had known she wasn't well, but unlike with Ron, who didn't know how to deal with it, who never went through anything like that, who opted for dreamless potions so as not to be woken by her screams because he wanted to be fine for auror training, who got tired, Draco knew how to make her feel less lost. He talked when she didn't want to feel alone but was too tired to have a real conversation, he didn't mind the silence when her mind was to far off to concentrate. He burned his hands just to make her nightmares go away, for Godric's sake. And to think he used to make her feel so miserable at school not so long ago. If it weren't for the jests at her hair she'd test him for polyjuice potion.

When she came out of the bathroom he was pacing back and forth looking anxious.

"What's wrong?" He scratched the back of his head before giving her a nervous smile, failing miserably on comforting her.

"So...I punched a reporter…" She kind of remembered that in a blurry kind of way.

"Yeah…"

"And your best friend, the auror, was right there…"

"Ok" He left a sight go and then sat on the bed.

"Potter and Weasley are downstairs waiting for us because they have to file a bloody report." He said it so fast she took a few seconds to process the information. She walked over to the bed and sat next to him and just nodded. "I think I heard them when...when I was washing your hair, but maybe they didn't see us…" She nodded again. "You don't have to go down if you don't want to, I'm sure Potter will handle it, and probably let me go with some money compensation, no matter how much Weasley begs for some night in Azkaban for me.." She winced then. She looked at his hands placed over his knees, and not for the first time realized he'd been hurt without her noticing.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't you dare apologize for that. I just wish I could throw a punch as good as you do." He gave her a lopsided smile but she couldn't return it.

"I...you shouldn't have to go through all this trouble for me. It's not fair for you." He put a hand on her knee to stop her from going on about it and shook his head.

"Stop. I, unlike most people, am glad life's not always fair. Or you would have been appalled at the idea of having me living next door. Potter, being Potter would've made me leave, and I'd probably would've keep on running instead of being with the people that care about me again, and getting to know you and by extension your annoying but bearable friends, and being able to see _my_ friend actually get along with someone other than us, and be themselves without fearing rejection. So...yeah..thank Merlin life isn't fair."

She just stared at him, trying to convince herself this man really existed, that he was really there, with her, willingly, but it was getting really hard to reason with her brain so she kissed him to shut it up. And thankfully he kissed her back.

 _Unfortunately_ that's when the door opened with a bang and Ron fuckin Weasley entered the room like the bloody twister that he always was.

"Bloody hell! My eyes!"

"Ronald!"

"Don't you know how to knock, Weasel?!"


End file.
